The New York Times interviewed Colum McCann about what and who he’s reading, and if you’re looking for a book recommendation this piece is full of them. For more from McCann, be sure to check out his Year in Reading, our review of his novel TransAtlantic, and this reading of his soccer poem.
McCann: Reading, Writing and Soccer
“The Percy Jackson Problem”
"Riordan’s books prompt an uneasy interrogation of the premise underlying the 'so long as they’re reading' side of the debate—at least among those of us who want to share Neil Gaiman’s optimistic view that all reading is good reading, and yet find ourselves by disposition closer to the Tim Parks end of the spectrum, worried that those books on our children’s shelves that offer easy gratification are crowding out the different pleasures that may be offered by less grabby volumes." In an essay for The New Yorker, Rebecca Mead considers questions about what children should be reading through the lens of the Percy Jackson series.
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Silverstein in the News
Shel Silverstein is the subject of two articles this week courtesy of The Atlantic and The New York Times.
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You’d like to think that you’re immune to the stuff…
The lights are on / but you're not home. / Your mind / is not your own. / Your heart sweats (?) / Your teeth grind. . . . You might as well face it / You're addicted to Twitter.
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Reading Poetry
"The very best way to read a poem is perhaps to be young, intelligent, and slightly drunk." The Atlantic offers 20 strategies for reading poetry, and they pair well with Leah Falk's look at "Performance Anxiety: When Poets Read Aloud."
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Hard to Categorize
The Naipaul Question, as Morgan Meis calls it, is simple: is V.S. Naipaul too offensive to be taken seriously? His recent biography includes scenes of abuse and moments of straightforward racism. But Meis thinks the issue is more complicated than whether Naipaul is a monster -- the author is, in his phrasing, too “protean” to be pinned down.
Eating Well
David Lebovitz, author of The Perfect Scoop, suggests 10 ways to improve your cooking. Not so sure I agree with whole wheat pasta, but I certainly support calls for fresh herbs and lots of shallots... (via)